Between 2009 and 2011 my involvement in Arabic territories brings me to focus on Morocco, a country in the midst of transformation. Following the atmosphere of protest that was shaking up the arab world, Moroccan youth is dreaming of what it might become. On the beach, theatre of new rituals on holidays times, I have chronicled the joyful muddle of a country divided between powerful traditions and the desire for modernity. Traditionally the locals rarely went to the beach, they left that up to foreigners, today it has become a new leisure of the masses. Essaouira, a small coastal town, transformed into a seaside resort for the summer, welcomes a younger generation attracted by the freedom that this particular space offers, that is to say the beach, along with local families who have adopted the custom. The young city-dwellers manifest their quest for a new identity, demanding an extension of its individual liberties, and we are witness to the diversity of their intentions. It is a veritable ballet of courting displays, where a parade of clothing is required to attract the gaze and attention of both girls and boys. Being stylish is the unspoken rule for the young generation who thus expresses its aspirations to emancipation, while the local population and the older ones, their attachment to the traditions. From behind the walls of the medina to its sandy shores Morocco thus sees the cohabitation of its own paradoxes.

This work was undertaken with plastic cameras. Their toy-like appearance was often useful in a country where a picture is still a tabou, to get beyond people’s habitual refusal to be photographed, even more so on the beach.

Between 2009 and 2011 my involvement in Arabic territories brings me to focus on Morocco, a country in the midst of transformation. Following the atmosphere of protest that was shaking up the arab world, Moroccan youth is dreaming of what it might become. On the beach, theatre of new rituals on holidays times, I have chronicled the joyful muddle of a country divided between powerful traditions and the desire for modernity. Traditionally the locals rarely went to the beach, they left that up to foreigners, today it has become a new leisure of the masses. Essaouira, a small coastal town, transformed into a seaside resort for the summer, welcomes a younger generation attracted by the freedom that this particular space offers, that is to say the beach, along with local families who have adopted the custom. The young city-dwellers manifest their quest for a new identity, demanding an extension of its individual liberties, and we are witness to the diversity of their intentions. It is a veritable ballet of courting displays, where a parade of clothing is required to attract the gaze and attention of both girls and boys. Being stylish is the unspoken rule for the young generation who thus expresses its aspirations to emancipation, while the local population and the older ones, their attachment to the traditions. From behind the walls of the medina to its sandy shores Morocco thus sees the cohabitation of its own paradoxes.

This work was undertaken with plastic cameras. Their toy-like appearance was often useful in a country where a picture is still a tabou, to get beyond people’s habitual refusal to be photographed, even more so on the beach.